Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Bill would block Wal-Mart from opening banks

Bill would block Wal-Mart from opening banks
By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News
January 16, 2007






A bill that would block Wal-Mart and Home Depot from owning and operating banks in their stores sailed through a Senate committee today.

The move to protect small community banks from what some lawmakers called "big-box" stores' predatory practices comes as Wal-Mart and Home Depot seek to charter and operate banks within their stores across the nation.

"The community banks can not compete against Wal-Mart," said Barbara Walker, executive officer of the Independent Bankers of Colorado. "Just as it has wiped out mom and pop stores in Main Street America, it will wipe out small community banks."

Senate Bill 40, sponsored by Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, and Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, would ban retailers from operating affiliated industrial banks.

The measure is aimed at closing a loophole in federal banking laws.

Industrial loan companies, or ILC’s, can offer nearly the same financial services as traditional chartered banks, but with much less scrutiny and oversight, said Walker.

The Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee voted 6-1 to forward the measure to the full Senate.

Similar legislation will be introduced in the House.

The lone dissenting Republican, Sen. Jack Taylor of Steamboat Springs, rejected claims that banks owned and operated by Wal-Mart and Home Depot would drive community banks out of business.

"It’s implied that in a small community, the big-box stores could reduce them down to one bank," he said. "I’m having trouble accepting the argument."








2006 © The E.W. Scripps Co

Legislation aims to head off Wal-Mart-style banks

Legislation aims to head off Wal-Mart-style banks
The Denver Business Journal - 3:07 PM MST Tuesday
by Renee McGawDenver Business Journal





Colorado's bankers are launching a pre-emptive strike against retailers who want to get into the banking business.

Senate Bill 40, introduced Jan. 10, would prevent a business from running a bank within one-and-a-half miles of its own retail or commercial premises.

"We want to protect the independent banker," said Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Westminster, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate. Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, is the bill's House sponsor.

Tochtrop refused to name names. But one of the bill's obvious targets is Wal-Mart, the retailing giant whose 18-month effort to enter the banking business worries commercial bankers nationwide.

Wal-Mart's July 2005 application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) to open an industrial bank in Utah caused such an uproar that the FDIC last summer placed a six-month freeze on new industrial bank applications, to give itself time to consider the issue more carefully. That freeze is scheduled to end on Jan. 31.

Industrial banks -- also known as industrial loan corporations, or ILCs -- were first chartered in the early 1900s as small loan companies for industrial workers. But over time, chartering states gradually have allowed them greater powers, and ILCs now offer many of the same products and services as state commercial banks.

Other retailers operate them, including Target and Nordstrom. Still others would like to -- Home Depot and DaimlerChrysler both have ILC applications pending at the FDIC.

But it's the application by retailing juggernaut Wal-Mart that has caused the most consternation, with groups including the AFL-CIO and American Bankers Association urging the FDIC to reject the request.

Wal-Mart told the FDIC that it isn't interested in lending, but wants to be able to handle its own electronic check processing, and credit card and debt card payments from its customers, instead of paying third-party service providers to do it.

But many bankers believe that if Wal-Mart enters the industry, community banks will face the same challenges that have overwhelmed many mom-and-pop retailers in the small towns where Wal-Mart has opened stores.

"If [retailers] are allowed to open their own banks, and can offer discounts to people opening accounts there, it's going to hurt the independent bankers and all the branch banks," Tochtrop said. "In the long run, it also hurts the consumer, because people lose the one-on-one, face-to-face relationship that they have with an independent banker."

"Small businesses depend on their community banks for unbiased credit decisions in order to sustain and grow their operations," officials at Independent Bankers of Colorado (IBC), the driving force behind the bill, said in a statement. "Would a retailer's bank loan money to competing businesses?"

SBl 40 would prohibit a financial institution from establishing an office, loan production office, deposit production office or branch within 1.5 miles of premises owned, leased or otherwise controlled by an affiliate that engages in commercial activities.

On Tuesday, the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee approved the bill by a 5-to-1 vote. The measure will now move to the Senate floor.

The ban wouldn't affect commercial bank branches located inside supermarkets or other commercial establishments, because the banks don't own those retail businesses.

Don Childears, president and CEO of the Colorado Bankers Association, said that his group supports SB 40. The CBA also plans to introduce a separate, similar bill within the next couple of weeks.

"We and the IBC have met and discussed our respective bills several times," Childears said. "We found that we took different approaches, but they are not inconsistent. So we felt that the best thing was to proceed with both of them, and I think generally both of us are supportive of the other's bill."








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All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Ex-Wal-Mart ad chief files lawsuit

Thursday, January 25, 2007
Ex-Wal-Mart ad chief files lawsuit
Bloomberg News







DETROIT -- Ex-Wal-Mart Stores Inc. advertising chief Julie Roehm is suing the discount retailer for breach of contract and fraud in federal court in Detroit. She also said Wal-Mart "made false and malicious statements to the media."

Roehm's complaint says Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart told her she was fired last month because she hadn't "been fulfilling the expectations of an officer of the company."

Roehm joined Wal-Mart in January 2006 from DaimlerChrysler AG, where she was director of marketing communications for the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands. Before joining DaimlerChrysler in 2001, she worked at Ford Motor Co. for six years, leaving there as head of marketing communications for all Ford-branded vehicles.

Roehm filed her lawsuit in state court in Pontiac, and it was transferred to federal court in Detroit on Jan. 10.

Wal-Mart has struggled to boost sales in recent months. The company dropped Interpublic Group of Co.'s DraftFCB, the advertising agency Roehm hired earlier in the year, three days after her Dec. 4 dismissal.

Roehm said Wal-Mart hasn't paid all the money it owes her. Roehm was an "at-will" employee and isn't entitled to any damages, Wal-Mart said in court papers filed Dec. 18.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams said the company wouldn't comment beyond what it said in court papers. John Schaefer, Roehm's attorney, didn't immediately return calls for comment. A message left at Roehm's Arkansas home wasn't immediately returned.










© Copyright 2007 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.

Shareholder proposal filed on Wal-Mart labor

Shareholder proposal filed on Wal-Mart labor
From Pensions and Investments Online:





New York City Employees’ Retirement System and Illinois State Board of Investment, Chicago, introduced a shareholder proposal at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. calling for the company’s board of directors to issue a report on the company’s alleged failure to comply with International Labor Organization standards on workers’ rights.

“As shareholders, we are concerned with the vast reports of noncompliance with international labor standards in Wal-Mart’s operations, rendering the company a negative reputation and causing (it) considerable economic harm,” William R. Atwood, executive director of the $11.9 billion Illinois fund, wrote in a letter to Thomas D. Hyde, corporate secretary of Wal-Mart.

Representatives of the two funds have talked with Wal-Mart officials about the concern but failed to reach agreement, prompting the funds to sponsor the proposal, Mr. Atwood said in an interview.

The $37 billion NYCERS owns 2,953,214 Wal-Mart shares and ISBI, 451,055 shares.

Wal-Mart officials declined to comment on the talks or the proposal, said John Smiley, spokesman for the Bentonville, Ark.-based company. Wal-Mart’s annual meeting hasn’t been scheduled yet but is typically in June, said Jami Arms, Wal-Mart spokeswoman.


Posted by Laura - January 16, 2007 12:14 PM - In The News








© 2005 United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Privacy Policy
This site is in no way connected with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. or any affiliate of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
The views expressed in the comments posted on this site are those of persons writing those comments and not necessarily those of the Change Wal-Mart Association, WakeUpWalMart.com, or the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The Change Wal-Mart Association, WakeUpWalMart.com and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union do not vouch for the accuracy or truthfulness of any posted statement or opinion.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

OCA Calls on Consumers to Boycott Wal-Mart for Degrading Organic Standards

Action Alert: Boycott Wal-Mart for Degrading Organic Standards
OCA Calls on Consumers to Boycott Wal-Mart for Degrading Organic Standards
Organic Consumers Association, Jan 17, 2007
Straight to the Source





Six months after OCA requested in a widely circulated "Open Letter" that Wal-Mart stop selling Horizon and Aurora Organic milk coming from intensive confinement factory farm dairies, and stop importing cheap organic foods and ingredients from China and Brazil that could and should be supplied by North American organic farmers, the nation's largest and most ethically-challenged retailer has done what you would expect, nothing.

In addition, as the Cornucopia Institute has pointed out over the past two months, Wal-Mart continues to post signs in its stores that mislead consumers into believing that non-organic items are actually organic. Meanwhile Wal-Mart's friends in the USDA's National Organic Program have, of course, done nothing.

Wal-Mart's entry into the organic and fair trade sector has generated much fanfare and publicity, at great benefit to a company seeking to re-brand itself in the wake of broad-based criticism of its business practices. While seeking to improve both its reputation and bottom line by moving into the organic and fair trade market, Wal-Mart has systematically lowered standards for these products by squeezing suppliers and sourcing supplies from factory farms and overseas suppliers. Currently, the demand for organic products outweighs the supply, and Wal-Mart's entry into the market has only exacerbated the problem.

The popularity of organics for consumers has in large part grown from the knowledge among purchasers that products they purchased were raised and produced in a safe, humane and environmentally friendly manner and in many cases were produced locally or regionally. The industrialization of organics by companies like Wal-Mart threatens the ability of consumers to be certain that products they are purchasing are indeed raised and produced according to true organic standards.

Basta! Enough is enough. It is now obvious that organic consumers and anyone who cares about health, justice, and sustainability should stop "bargain shopping" for organic products at Wal-Mart and its Big Box competitors. Breaking the chains of mindless consumerism means taking into consideration that where you buy an organic or green product is just as important as what you buy. And please keep in mind that boycotting Wal-Mart is not just a symbolic gesture. Over the past year, as OCA and hundreds of other groups have shined the light on America's retail Death Star, Wal-Mart has lost somewhere between two and eight percent of its former customers, sending tremors through Wall Street and causing the company to lose sales and profits. In countries like Germany and South Korea, consumer rejection has forced Wal-Mart to close down its operations entirely.

So today and everyday please boycott Wal-Mart and the other Big Box chains. Whenever possible buy your organic and fair trade products from your local co-op or independently owned natural food store, or from your local farmers directly. For more information on where you can find organic and fair trade products in your local area, go to:


http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/buyingguide.cfm




Fair Use Notice: The material on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or technical advice.




OPEN LETTER to Wal-Mart from the Organic Consumers Association

Open Letter to Wal-Mart from the Organic Consumers Association
OPEN LETTER to Wal-Mart from the Organic Consumers Association
July 4, 2006





In the June 12, 2006 Washington Post article "For Wal-Mart, Fair Trade May Be More Than a Hill of Beans," writer Ylan Q. Mui describes one of Wal-Mart's foreign suppliers of fair-trade coffee, a Brazilian co-op farm. The article paints a glowing picture of Wal-Mart's investment in a small coffee farmer, complete with a portrayal of how the company's never-ending quest to cut supplier costs led it to remote Poco Fundo.

Unfortunately, this is only a small part of a larger picture. Wal-Mart's worldwide impact on fair trade and organic standards, farmers and consumers runs much deeper and has far more negative consequences than the article indicates. Wal-Mart has an opportunity to act responsibly and morally to address the issues of lower standards, misleading consumers and squeezing local family-scale farms. By investing significantly in American farmers' transition from conventional to organic production, Wal-Mart can make good on some of the hype its public relations department has produced in recent weeks.

Wal-Mart's entry into the organic and fair trade food market has generated much fanfare and publicity, at great benefit to a company seeking to rebrand itself in the wake of broad-based criticism of its business practices. While seeking to improve both its reputation and bottom line by moving into the organic and fair trade market, Wal-Mart has systematically lowered standards for these products by squeezing suppliers and sourcing supplies from factory farms and overseas suppliers. Currently, the demand for organic products outweighs the supply, and Wal-Mart's entry into the market has only exacerbated the problem.

The scale of Wal-Mart's procurement of organic products, along with its practice of squeezing suppliers to ensure lower costs, has led to a lowering of standards in its organic purchasing and retailing. Organic milk, for instance, is being purchased by Wal-Mart from large factory farms that, while certified as organic, are at best complying with the letter and not the spirit of organic regulations. Many of the cows on these farms have been imported from conventional dairies, where they were weaned on blood, injected with antibiotic and hormones, and fed genetically engineered grains. National USDA organic standards mandate that cows have access to pasture and that a good portion of their food comes from pasture forage. However, according to a 2006 study by the Cornucopia Institute, larger organic suppliers‹including those that supply Wal-Mart‹are raising their dairy cows in intensive confinement, with little or no access to pasture.

The popularity of organics for consumers has in large part grown from the knowledge among purchasers that products they purchased were raised and produced in a safe, humane and environmentally friendly manner and in many cases were produced locally. The industrialization of organics by companies like Wal-Mart threatens the ability of consumers to be certain that products they are purchasing are indeed raised and produced according to true organic standards.

Currently, certified organics and fair-trade products also provide a sustainable source of income for many American small-family farmers who are threatened by the industrialization of these industries. These small local producers source products according to traditional organic and fair trade standards and have historically received a healthy margin on their sales. Unfortunately Wal-Mart and other large retail chains are now buying products labeled as organic, such as soy milk and tofu made from cheap soybeans from China, where organic standards are dubious and farm labor exploitation is the norm. Wal-Mart's decision to enter the organic and fair-trade markets and source from industrialized producers threatens the livelihoods of America's organic family scale farmers.

In spite of these problems that threaten to undermine organic standards and economic opportunities for American small farmers, Wal-Mart has an opportunity to act morally and responsibly by sourcing organics in a sustainable manner. As the world's largest and most financially successful company, Wal-Mart can treat its customers, suppliers and the earth fairly by sourcing organic and fair trade products from local and North American growers who meet the most stringent standards. Further, Wal-Mart can ensure a sustainable supply of organic and fair trade products by signing equitable, long-term contracts with American family farmers who wish to make the transition to organic practices.

Wal-Mart has shown a commitment to sourcing seafood by pressuring suppliers of fish and shrimp to meet Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Certification Council standards. By taking steps to source organic and fair trade products from local and regional smaller producers who are committed to meeting the most stringent standards, Wal-Mart can do the right thing by the environment, its suppliers and its customers.

Ronnie Cummins, National Director, Organic Consumers Association











Fair Use Notice: The material on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or technical advice.

Woman shoots carjacker in Two Notch Wal-Mart parking lot

Woman shoots carjacker in Two Notch Wal-Mart parking lot




(Columbia) January 16, 2007 - A man and woman who were shopping at the Wal-Mart on Two Notch Road say a would-be carjacker was not only unsuccessful on Saturday - he is now suffering from a gunshot wound.

Harold Jeffcoat, 29, is the suspect. The victims say the man who tried to rob them came towards them as they were getting into their car and said, "Man, you know what time it is? Give me the keys!" Then they say Jeffcoat pushed his pistol into the man's stomach.

That's when the woman acted. She opened the passenger door and got her pistol from the glove box. She says she fired about five shots at the suspect, who ran away.

Officials say they found Jeffcoat at the Providence NE emergency room. He was there for a gunshot wound to the buttocks.

Jeffcoat is currently at the detention center on a $200,000 bond in this case, and is expected to face additional charges.

Police say Jeffcoat was already wanted in connection with half-a-dozen robberies when they arrested him in connection with the Wal-Mart case.

Meanwhile, authorities say the woman who shot the carjacker will not be charged.

Updated 5:09pm by Chantelle Janelle












All content © Copyright 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and WISTV, a Raycom Media Station.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Legislation aims to head off Wal-Mart-style banks

Legislation aims to head off Wal-Mart-style banks
The Denver Business Journal - 3:07 PM MST Tuesday
by Renee McGawDenver Business Journal





Colorado's bankers are launching a pre-emptive strike against retailers who want to get into the banking business.

Senate Bill 40, introduced Jan. 10, would prevent a business from running a bank within one-and-a-half miles of its own retail or commercial premises.

"We want to protect the independent banker," said Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Westminster, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate. Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, is the bill's House sponsor.

Tochtrop refused to name names. But one of the bill's obvious targets is Wal-Mart, the retailing giant whose 18-month effort to enter the banking business worries commercial bankers nationwide.

Wal-Mart's July 2005 application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) to open an industrial bank in Utah caused such an uproar that the FDIC last summer placed a six-month freeze on new industrial bank applications, to give itself time to consider the issue more carefully. That freeze is scheduled to end on Jan. 31.

Industrial banks -- also known as industrial loan corporations, or ILCs -- were first chartered in the early 1900s as small loan companies for industrial workers. But over time, chartering states gradually have allowed them greater powers, and ILCs now offer many of the same products and services as state commercial banks.

Other retailers operate them, including Target and Nordstrom. Still others would like to -- Home Depot and DaimlerChrysler both have ILC applications pending at the FDIC.

But it's the application by retailing juggernaut Wal-Mart that has caused the most consternation, with groups including the AFL-CIO and American Bankers Association urging the FDIC to reject the request.

Wal-Mart told the FDIC that it isn't interested in lending, but wants to be able to handle its own electronic check processing, and credit card and debt card payments from its customers, instead of paying third-party service providers to do it.

But many bankers believe that if Wal-Mart enters the industry, community banks will face the same challenges that have overwhelmed many mom-and-pop retailers in the small towns where Wal-Mart has opened stores.

"If [retailers] are allowed to open their own banks, and can offer discounts to people opening accounts there, it's going to hurt the independent bankers and all the branch banks," Tochtrop said. "In the long run, it also hurts the consumer, because people lose the one-on-one, face-to-face relationship that they have with an independent banker."

"Small businesses depend on their community banks for unbiased credit decisions in order to sustain and grow their operations," officials at Independent Bankers of Colorado (IBC), the driving force behind the bill, said in a statement. "Would a retailer's bank loan money to competing businesses?"

SBl 40 would prohibit a financial institution from establishing an office, loan production office, deposit production office or branch within 1.5 miles of premises owned, leased or otherwise controlled by an affiliate that engages in commercial activities.

On Tuesday, the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee approved the bill by a 5-to-1 vote. The measure will now move to the Senate floor.

The ban wouldn't affect commercial bank branches located inside supermarkets or other commercial establishments, because the banks don't own those retail businesses.

Don Childears, president and CEO of the Colorado Bankers Association, said that his group supports SB 40. The CBA also plans to introduce a separate, similar bill within the next couple of weeks.

"We and the IBC have met and discussed our respective bills several times," Childears said. "We found that we took different approaches, but they are not inconsistent. So we felt that the best thing was to proceed with both of them, and I think generally both of us are supportive of the other's bill."





© 2006 American City Business Journals, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.



All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Grossman Leaves Wal-Mart Watch

Grossman Leaves Wal-Mart Watch
By Lance Turner
1/4/2007 11:03:44 AM






Wal-Mart Watch, a union-funded nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that is a vocal critic of the world's largest retailer, said Thursday that its executive director, Andrew Grossman, is leaving his full-time post with the group.

Wal-Mart Watch's board chairman, Andy Stern, said he asked chief of staff David Nassar to be acting executive director.

"As chairman of the Wal-Mart Watch board, I am excited about the future of the campaign to change Wal-Mart, and [the Service Employees International Union] is committed to funding that future," Stern said in a news release. "After two years of strong leadership from Andrew Grossman, he is leaving his full-time position and assuming a consulting role with Wal-Mart Watch. I have asked David Nassar, currently chief of staff, to serve as acting executive director and feel strongly that David will do an excellent job in a permanent capacity."

Nassar is Wal-Mart Watch’s chief of staff and has worked as a field organizer and manager on domestic and international campaigns. He managed pro-democracy programs for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan. He recently managed SEIU’s New Hampshire for Health Care campaign and a congressional race in Pennsylvania.

Among Wal-Mart Watch's criticisms of the retailer is Wal-Mart's compensation of employees. Grossman told Arkansas Business in 2005 that he believes Wal-Mart's bottom line would improve if it adopted many of the group's proposals.













Copyright © 2007, Arkansas Business Limited Partnership. All rights reserved.

Wal-Mart Jumps the Shark

Wal-Mart Jumps the Shark
READ MORE: Wal-Mart




It's official. Management at Wal-Mart has had a complete psychotic break with reality. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that Wal-Mart "using a new computerized scheduling system, will start moving many of its 1.3 million workers from predictable shifts to a system based on the number of customers in stores at any given time.

The move promises greater productivity and customer satisfaction for the huge retailer but could be a major headache for employees." A "major headache." Ya think?

Wal-Mart's management, in an astonishing display of hubris, announces this plan ONE DAY before a new Congress, controlled by Democrats, is sworn in. Many of these Democrats have had Wal-Mart in their crosshairs for years. This hamfisted move would be the PR equivalent of announcing "wage caps" on long-term employees the same month Wake-Up Wal-Mart began a nationwide anti-Wal-Mart bus tour. Oh wait...they did that last August.

Wal-Mart already has had trouble with its new scheduling experiments. Last year 200 employees walked out of a store in Hialeah, FL in protest of a new scheduling system. That's in Florida, reputedly a red state. What will they do in Michigan or California?

As I made clear in my last HuffPo piece, I believe Wal-Mart, driven by the head of the stores Eduardo Castro-Wright, is floundering in its attempts to increase earnings and has decided shifting employees from full-time to part-time is one way to do it. From the same WSJ article:

"(Employees) they may be asked to be "on call" to meet customer surges, or sent home because of a lull, resulting in less pay. The new systems also alert managers when a worker is approaching full-time status or overtime, which would require higher wages and benefits, so they can scale back that person's schedule.


That means workers may not know when or if they will need a babysitter or whether they will work enough hours to pay that month's bills. Rather than work three eight-hour days, someone might now be plugged into six four-hour days, mornings one week and evenings the next."


This may have worked for Mr. Castro-Wright in Mexico when he ran Wal-Mex, but it won't fly here. In my home state of Georgia, a right to work state, Wal-Mart employees email me talking union, motivated by this sort of employee abuse. Wal-Mart is the Tin Man, a logistics machine that can't find its heart.

I made a film extolling Wal-Mart. Robert Greenwald made a film criticizing them. It looks like he was probably right.











Copyright 2006 © HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Chelan Wal-Mart built, but will it ever open?

Chelan Wal-Mart built, but will it ever open?
By Lynda V. Mapes
Seattle Times staff reporter





CHELAN — About two weeks from now, Wal-Mart was supposed to celebrate a grand opening here, ushering in a new era in retail shopping — and big changes for this scenic tourist town on the lake.

The shelves are still being stocked. Construction workers are gluing up trim and decking the food court in plastic plants. And some 200 new employees are ready to go to work.

But it's quite possible the big celebration is off. A county judge last week delivered a giant legal victory to a small group of local opponents of the 162,000-square-foot big-box behemoth, agreeing that the project violated the city's zoning rules.

Now they aren't just talking about stopping the grand opening. Some people are talking about tearing the whole thing down.

The dispute has also ignited a vigorous, sometimes bitter debate among neighbors in scenic Chelan, population 3,600, over the future of its character amid a changing economy. While the opponents are celebrating their rare victory as a David-vs.-Goliath battle to protect their way of life, a lot of people have been looking forward to all the amenities and low prices the world's largest retailer would offer.

"I have very mixed feelings on it," says Cindy Aston, who runs a greeting-card and gift shop downtown in what used to be her father's pharmacy.

"Is it going to hurt us? Yes, it will, businesswise. If I didn't think so, I'd be crazy. On the other hand, I think we could use a Wal-Mart."


Bait and switch?


Only a single blue tarp flapping on the exterior wall reveals that the Wal-Mart building on the outskirts of Chelan, where acres of apple orchards have been ripped up for subdivisions, isn't yet complete.

Opening day had been set for Jan. 22 when Chelan County Superior Court Judge Lesley A. Allan on Dec. 29 ruled that the project's building permits are invalid.

The judge sided with Defenders of Small Town Chelan, a group of locals and well-heeled Seattleites with second homes in town, in ruling that the store was inconsistent with the plan as originally approved by the city. The legal dispute revolves around whether the city's zoning for the 18-acre lot intended to limit construction to 50,000 square feet per acre, as Wal-Mart contends, or 50,000 for the entire project, as the opponents maintain.

"This was a bait-and-switch on the part of the city and Wal-Mart," said Kathy George, a Seattle lawyer who represents the opponents. "The city told the public this was going to be a nice business park with buildings up to 50,000 square feet, and that it would be good for jobs. It skated through the process with hardly any public concern. Years later, we get a 162,000-square-foot store."

For Laurel Jamtgaard, who heads the group that has managed to raise all of $15,000 for the cause, the issue is fundamentally about protecting the town's charm.

"It is just so out of scale for a small community," Jamtgaard said. "I'm totally empathetic to people trying to buy goods at lower prices and tired of driving to Wenatchee or Omak. But every small town doesn't have to have one of these stores. Part of living in a place like this is being further from that kind of convenience."

Now the group plans to ask the judge to send the permits back to the city, and yank the temporary occupancy permit Wal-Mart has been using to stock the store, hire employees and get ready for opening day.

No one here thinks it's likely the building will be torn down, but no one can say it won't, either. That wouldn't just cost the company millions. Near as anyone can tell, it would be a first in the long history of fights between communities and the Arkansas-based retailer.


Weighing options


Wal-Mart admits the judge's decision caught it by surprise, to say the least. The company had been continuing to work toward the big opening, with workers stocking shelves since early December under a temporary permit. It had assumed it would win the case, assured that the project was legal because the permits had been issued.

"We've never had anything like this happen before," said Jennifer Holder, a Wal-Mart public-affairs manager based in Seattle. "We are weighing our options. We'll be talking to the city and to our attorneys to figure out what we need to do to make the situation right."

Meanwhile, city officials are bristling at the ruling — and the assertions from Jamtgaard and others that the public was left out of the decision to allow Wal-Mart to come to town.

"The city's position is we have not erred, and we followed the city's laws and procedures to a T," said Dave Fonfara, the city administrator. The city is weighing whether to appeal, he said, but the next chapter in this story is "a matter of speculation."


A sore subject


The Wal-Mart issue clearly is about much more than zoning codes.

"I think it is going to divide the town," says Gene Kelly, owner of Kelly's, a hardware store that sells everything from shotguns to tricycles. It's the oldest business in town, family-run since 1958, and currently employs 20 people.

"There are some benefits to having it. But Wal-Mart is kind of a sore subject. Big is trying to swallow little. We have a lot of small shops that aren't going to survive."

A few doors down, at Cindy Aston's store, Aston's Cards and Etc., the stuffed head of a bull elk gazes down at the froufrou where her father's pharmacy counter used to be. Now it's a pink wall to complement an inventory of lacy, scented girlie things.

Aston, who serves on the local chamber of commerce, said she prides herself on small-town service that includes personally delivering cards to customers in the local nursing home so they may make their selections bedside, and even mailing the cards. But she also knows people can use the products Wal-Mart will offer. And the city can certainly use the jobs and the tax revenue.

"But those are the only things I can come up with that are good."

Amid all the debating and the legal wrangling, another group of locals has been hard at work, too.

Kevin Huff of Wenatchee was hired to work in the garden center, and has been busy helping to get the store ready for a grand opening he is certain will come.

If not in two weeks, he figures, then eventually.

"I'm not worried about it," Huff said.

"These things have a way of working out. Most people want the store."


Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com.


Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

Monday, January 15, 2007

Wal-Mart Clarification Statement Admits 8% Increase in Enrollment Was Incorrect

Wal-Mart Clarification Statement Admits 8% Increase in Enrollment Was Incorrect
04:05 PM, January 13th 2007
by Dan Nicolae Alexa





Wal-Mart issued a statement to clarify its misleading health care figures. According to Wal-Mart's latest statement, the company says that it was wrong when it told the New York Times, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and other media publications that it provided company health care to 638,000 Associates in January 2006.

Now, Wal-Mart claims that the actual number of Associates covered under the company health care plan was 615,000 Associates in January 2006.

If Wal-Mart's new number is true, that means Wal-Mart's statement on January 11, 2007, that it increased its health care enrollment by 8%, was false. Under Wal-Mart's new number the company would have only increased its enrollment by 3.7%, if that's even true, less than half of its original claim.

In addition, Wal-Mart continues to mislead the press about the percentage of its employees covered under the company health care plan. In yesterday's news reports, Linda Dillman, Wal-Mart's executive vice president of benefits knowingly misled the public when she told the Associated Press, "Whatever numbers you use, the fact is there is a consistent upward trend."

Unfortunately for Wal-Mart and Ms. Dillman, the 47.4% figure the company cited in its press release yesterday is below the 48% figure that appears both in the internal Wal-Mart health care memo authored by then-Senior Vice President for Benefits Susan Chambers and the 48% reported by Business Week in February 2005, almost two years ago.

"We understand why Wal-Mart would want to try and cover up the fact that it fails to provide company health care to over half of its employees, but this is starting to get ridiculous," said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com. "Apparently, Wal-Mart fails to understand that this is not just some game where you can make up the numbers or pick arbitrary dates during the year to put the best spin on poor results. We hope Wal-Mart will stop playing games with the American public, lawmakers, Wall Street, and the media and will start telling the truth."

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Wal-Mart accused of mislabeling ‘organic’ food

Published - Saturday, January 13, 2007
Wal-Mart accused of mislabeling ‘organic’ food
By Reid Magney
Lee Newspapers





ONALASKA, Wis. — Wal-Mart has begun offering hundreds of organic items alongside its conventional grocery products.

But that “Wal-Mart Organics” sign on the store shelf doesn’t always mean the product is organic, critics claim.

Friday, a Wisconsin-based organic food watchdog group filed a complaint against Wal-Mart with the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The Cornucopia Institute, a progressive farm and food policy research group, contends Wal-Mart’s Onalaska store mislead consumers by using “Wal-Mart Organics” signs on products that are not organic.

To be labeled “USDA Organic,” food must be produced in accordance with certain standards, without pesticides, artificial fertilizers, hormones and other ingredients.

Wal-Mart corporate spokeswoman Karen Burke said any mislabeling was “inadvertent.”

Cornucopia co-founder Mark Kastel of La Farge, Wis., said Friday that Wal-Mart doesn’t take the mislabeling seriously. His group has documented similar problems at dozens of Wal-Marts across the country, he said.

Kastel wrote to Wal-Mart’s CEO about the problem in September. When nothing changed, Cornucopia filed a complaint with the USDA in early November.

“Someone needs to take action to end this abuse of the organic label, and we are calling upon the

See WAL-MART, page 3A

state of Wisconsin to act if the USDA and Wal-Mart are unwilling or unable to correct the problem,” Cornucopia said in its complaint to DATCP.

Cornucopia charged that “Wal-Mart Organics” cards were used to advertise tubs of non-organic Stonyfield Farms yogurt in Onalaska. The cards were printed with the product’s name and price.

Friday, the La Crosse (Wis.) Tribune verified Cornucopia’s claim about the labeling for Stonyfield Farms yogurt and pointed it out to a Wal-Mart manager. The La Crosse Supercenter had no such labeling on the yogurt.

The Tribune also found “organic” point-of-sale signs on shelves with non-organic eggs and non-organic rice milk at the Onalaska Supercenter. At the La Crosse Supercenter, “organic” signs were on cooler shelves in the produce section containing non-organic Asian food products.

“Although Wal-Mart has more than 2,000 locations that may offer up to 200 organic selections in addition to thousands of non-organic offerings, we believe it to be an isolated incident should a green organic identifying tag be inadvertently placed by or accidentally shift in front of the wrong item,” Burke said. “The USDA certification label is featured on the packaging of the organic selections we offer for further customer information and verification.”

She added, “We continue to work with our store associates to have the identifying tags checked periodically for accuracy.”

Natural food stores and cooperatives, once the only source for organic foods, have been concerned Wal-Mart’s entry into organics could lead to weakened standards.

Michelle Schry, general manager of the People’s Food Co-op in La Crosse, said people who are new to organics “really need to be able to count on not only the package labeling, but also the store signage, because they’re being introduced to a whole new class of products.”

Schry also is president of the National Cooperative Grocers Association, whose 106 members have combined annual sales of more than $700 million. “Our biggest concern about Wal-Mart getting into the organics business, is that we want them to be a partner to ensure that they maintain the integrity of organics,” she said.

Rob Pretasky, specialty foods director for Onalaska-based Festival Foods, said their sales of “natural” foods, including organics, have doubled in the past three years, making it the fastest-growing category.

“We never put any signs up on anything and say it’s organic unless it is a USDA-approved organic seal product,” said Pretasky. “We’re very fussy about how we sign our items.”

On the Web

Wal-Mart Organics site:

walmart.triaddigital.com/Walmart-Organics.aspx

The Cornucopia Institute:

www.cornucopia.org

USDA National Organic Program:

www.ams.usda.gov/NOP

A photo of the “Wal-Mart Organics” sign at the Onalaska Wal-Mart with non-organic Stonyfield Farms yogurt can be seen online at www.rivervalleyblogs.com

Reid Magney can be reached at (608) 791-8211 or rmagney@lacrossetribune.com.











Copyright © 1997 - 2005 The Winona Daily News. All rights reserved.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Fabric may be permanently pulled from Wal-Mart’s shelves

Fabric may be permanently pulled from Wal-Mart’s shelves
by Jaime Baranyai - Staff Writer
Published: Friday, January 5, 2007 6:00 PM CST






The fabric departments in several Wal-Mart stores may soon be done away with, which would mean more traveling and higher prices for those who sew or quilt in the area.

Although some customers who shop at the St. Robert Wal-Mart SuperCenter said the management there has told them the fabric department will be taken from the store sometime within the next four months, the management would not confirm that for the Rolla Daily News. Management at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Rolla also declined to say whether the rumor was true.

“We can’t really say anything,” a manager at the Rolla Wal-Mart SuperCenter who wished to remain anonymous said. “You’ll have to call corporate.”


After more than a dozen phone calls to corporate and two hours later, the Rolla Daily News received an e-mail from a Wal-Mart communications official relaying the following details.

“Wal-Mart will continue to carry cut fabric in most of our stores,” the letter from Jami Arms, Wal-Mart spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Corporate Communications, stated. “In keeping with our emphasis on being a store of the community, Wal-Mart is converting the fabrics and crafts department in some stores to a newly expanded assortment of merchandise that focuses on life’s celebrations. We are thrilled to offer our customers this exciting new crafts and celebrations center that makes available craft and party planning needs along with information on current trends and new ideas in the area of life’s celebrations such as holidays, weddings and birthdays.”

The letter went on to say that in those stores where the new crafts and celebrations center is placed, merchandise commonly referred to as notions, such as sewing machines, yarn, needles, thread, etc., will continue to be included in the product offerings.



“As part of this conversation, most of our new and remodeled stores opening in early 2007, as well as a small number of existing stores, will feature the new crafts and celebrations center in place of cut fabrics,” Arms wrote. “Because the evaluation of stores is still in progress, we do not have available to share a list of stores scheduled to receive the new crafts and celebrations center.”

While there is still no official word on whether the fabric departments in Wal-Mart area stores will stay or go, area residents aren’t taking the rumors lightly. One from St. Robert is even starting her own petition against it.

“I’ve been told that all the fabric departments in Wal-Mart stores nationwide are going to be shut down and be replaced with those celebration centers,” Judy McFarland of St. Robert said. “Sam Walton would roll over in his grave if he knew what was happening. I’ve made phone calls, written letters, sent e-mails and now I’m trying to get a petition together. I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but this really hit me hard and it’s something that means a lot to me.”



Her reasons for wanting to keep the fabric departments open in Wal-Mart stores are many. McFarland is most concerned about the price she and others will have to pay, as well as the distance they’ll have to travel, to buy material and sewing or quilting supplies if the Wal-Mart fabric departments close.

“For many people, Wal-Mart is the only store that has affordable sewing materials and is within a reasonable driving distance,” she said. “For the people who sew and make quilts in the Rolla, St. Robert, Salem, Houston and Lebanon areas, Springfield would be the next closest place for us to find what we need and that’s about a two-hour drive away. Many of the women in my community and quilting club wouldn’t even be able to make that kind of a drive.”

Nina Decker, of Rolla, has some of the same concerns.



“It would be especially bad for the Rolla area because Wal-Mart is the only store where you can buy fabric at a reasonable price,” she said. “There are a few other places, but they charge higher prices and I can’t afford that.”

Decker is also apprehensive about having to drive outside the area to get the sewing supplies she needs.

“I’m concerned that if the fabric department leaves Wal-Mart then I’ll have to drive to Jefferson City to get what I need to make clothes for my grandchildren,” she said. “That’s a bit far to drive just for some sewing supplies, but I guess that’s where I’ll have to go if this ends up happening.”



If Wal-Mart decides to get rid of its fabric departments, Decker hopes the store will keep stocking basic items needed for sewing and quilting such as buttons, zippers and thread.

“If they have to pare it down I hope they can keep the basics, even that would help,” she said. “People in this area just don’t have anywhere else to go for these things.”

McFarland is also worried about the wide range of people who will be affected if Wal-Mart decides to discontinue its fabric departments.



“This isn’t just going to affect women who like to sew,” she said. “Mothers who sew their children’s clothes, schools and home economics departments who teach sewing projects, church groups who quilt blankets, wives from the fort who work on fabric projects, people in nursing homes who sew and quilt, and many others rely on the Wal-Mart fabric department for affordable supplies, patterns and material. ‘What’s going to happen when they can no longer get what they need?’”

McFarland said she learned of a managers’ meeting scheduled to take place in Kansas City in a few weeks during which closing the fabric departments will be discussed. She would like to have her petition ready by then.

“The managers can’t just go up there and say, ‘I don’t think we should do this,’” she said. “We have to give them the backup they need. They need signatures, letters and phone calls so corporate realizes it doesn’t have to do this. I think the managers really want to be there for us, but they’re stuck in the middle. If we give them some backup, then maybe they’ll have some more power. I’m sure they’re trying their best, but I know their hands are tied.”



Those wishing to make comments to Wal-Mart can do so by calling 1-800-Wal-Mart or writing a letter to Wal-Mart Headquarters, 702 S.W. Eighth St., Bentonville, AR 72716. To sign the petition, visit the Web site: http://www.petitiononline.com/savefab/petition.html, or call Judy McFarland at (573) 336-7482.





















Copyright © 2006 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.



Friday, January 12, 2007

WAL-MART'S NEW HEALTH CARE FIGURES PROVE THAT WAL-MART’S HEALTH CARE CRISIS WORSENED IN 2006

Wal-Mart's New Health Care Figures Prove That Wal-Mart's Health Care Crisis Worsened in 2006

January 11, 2007-->

Our latest press release:

WAL-MART'S NEW HEALTH CARE FIGURES PROVE THAT WAL-MART’S HEALTH CARE CRISIS WORSENED IN 2006

WAL-MART’S FIGURES CONTRADICT EARLIER STATEMENTS AND SHOW THE NUMBER OF WAL-MART EMPLOYEES INSURED BY THE COMPANY ACTUALLY DECREASED IN 2006

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Wal-Mart falsely claimed that the number of Wal-Mart employees covered by the company health care plan increased in 2006. Wal-Mart’s latest health care numbers directly contradict Wal-Mart’s figures from last year and prove that the company’s health care crisis actually worsened. In fact, both in absolute numbers and on percentage basis, the number of Wal-Mart workers covered under the company health care plan actually decreased in 2006.

Last year, at the end of Wal-Mart’s health care enrollment period, Wal-Mart made public statements to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets claiming that "638,000 workers were now insured by the company.” Today, Wal-Mart said at the end of this year’s enrollment period it now insured only 636,391 workers. Therefore, Wal-Mart’s new health care enrollment decreased, not increased, by almost 2,000 workers compared to the same time last year.

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart wrongly claimed today, and several media outlets mistakenly reported on this wrong number, that Wal-Mart’s figure of 636,391 employees represents an 8% increase in enrollment.

It is impossible for Wal-Mart to have increased enrollment by 8% unless Wal-Mart lied to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and only insured 589,250 employees last year, not the 638,000 it claimed.

Even on a percentage basis, Wal-Mart’s figures are not accurate. This year, Wal-Mart claims it increased the percentage of workers covered under the company health care plan to an embarrassing 47.4%. But, at the end of last year, Wal-Mart told the Wall Street Journal that it provided company health care to 49% of its workers. Therefore, the 47.4% actually represents a decrease of 1.6%.

Based on the misleading statements made today by Wal-Mart, WakeUpWalMart.com released the following statement attributable to Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.
"Incredibly, Wal-Mart's own health care numbers prove that the Wal-Mart health care crisis has worsened. The sad truth is that despite making $11 billion in annual profit, Wal-Mart still fails to provide company health care to over half of its employees.
Given the enormous cost American taxpayers must pay to subsidize Wal-Mart’s health care crisis, we call on Wal-Mart to stop misleading the American people and our elected leaders who expect, if nothing else, that America's largest private employer will live up to it's health care responsibilities.


At a minimum, Wal-Mart should have the decency to remember how many workers they actually provide health care to and stop changing the numbers in a deliberate and desperate attempt to mislead the public and the media as the company tries to repair its faltering public image.

In the end, we hope that Wal-Mart will wake up and realize that continuing to make misleading statements about its health care crisis will not only fail to improve its faltering public image, but will only further stoke the anger of the American people and our elected leaders who expect Wal-Mart to finally change for the better.”



#######
Click here to read the story in the Washington Post.
Posted by Laura - January 11, 2007 10:56 AM - Hard to Believe















© 2005 United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Privacy Policy
This site is in no way connected with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. or any affiliate of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

The views expressed in the comments posted on this site are those of persons writing those comments and not necessarily those of the Change Wal-Mart Association, WakeUpWalMart.com, or the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The Change Wal-Mart Association, WakeUpWalMart.com and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union do not vouch for the accuracy or truthfulness of any posted statement or opinion. The Change Wal-Mart Association, WakeUpWalMart.com and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union have, however, refrained from posting any item containing any statement known to be inaccurate, false or baseless.

Wal*Mart to Offer Just In Time Children for Parents with Just In Time Schedules

Wal*Mart to Offer Just In Time Children for Parents with Just In Time Schedules
By Joan Chalmers Williams





When I saw the headlines about Wal*Mart moving to flexible scheduling, I was see that the company has decided to become a leader in the work/life arena. Here's a bit from The Wall Street Journal:

[U]sing a new computerized scheduling system, [WalMart] will start moving many of its 1.3 million workers from predictable shifts to a system based on the number of customers in stores at any given time. The move promises greater productivity and customer satisfaction for the huge retailer but could be a major headache for employees...



The WSJ seemed worried about what would happen to Wal*Mart associates' children if the ability to arrange child care were hamstrung by schedules that changed unpredictably from week to week.

No worries. I have it on inside information that Wal*Mart is just about to announce that it is providing its associates with Just In Time Children to enable associates to work the new Just In Time Schedules.

Here's how it works. As each Wal*Mart store shifts over to Just In Time Scheduling, associates' children will be magically transformed into beings who can be freeze-dried whenever their parents are called to work at a time there's no one to care for them.

It's simple. Say you have a working family where both parents work, but on different shifts -- one in four American families "tag team" this way, and Wal*Mart associates are likely to because who could pay for child care if you are working at a Wal*Mart associate's salary? So the family has it worked out that dad cares for the kids when mom's at work, and mom does when dad's at work.

But with Just In Time Scheduling, mom's schedule is changed from week to week. Not a problem, though, because now with Wal*Mart's new Just In Time Kidz, you can freeze dry those little ones and store them safely away for those hours and hours when they otherwise would be home alone. No more worries about 8 years old taking care of 5- and 3-year old siblings, or about toddlers left home alone, or about what in God's name the teenagers are doing from 3 to 6 that make that period when most teenage pregnancies and crimes take place.

What a business opportunity for Wal-Mart! In fact, the company is secretly working on a plan to market its Just In Time Schedules and Just In Time Kidz in Europe. Then Europeans will be able to abolish all their expensive, old-fashioned "real time" child care, and flexible schedule schemes that give workers some control, and replace them with schedules and children that meet the needs of a globalized world.

What will they think of next? Hat's off, Wal*Mart.


Jan 5, 2007 -- 01:43 PM EST











Copyright © 2006 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Wal-Mart Recalls Trail Mix After Reports of Glass, Plastic

Wal-Mart Recalls Trail Mix After Reports of Glass, Plastic
Jan 2nd - 6:02pm
By MARCUS KABEL AP Business Writer




(AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recalled a house brand of trail mix and took remaining bags off shelves nationwide after three customers said they found glass or hard plastic in bags bought in two states, the retailer and the mix's maker said Tuesday.


Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said it ordered stores over the weekend to remove Sam's Choice "Nature Trail" Trail Mix from sale. It also programed cash registers at all stores to block sales of the product, spokeswoman Karen Burk said.


The product is supplied to Wal-Mart by Jessup, Md.-based Ann's House of Nuts.


Jim Giles, vice president of quality assurance for Ann's, said the company had launched an investigation at its plant in Robersonville, N.C., where the trail mix was produced.


Giles said three Wal-Mart customers in Ohio and North Carolina had called the retailer to report finding what looked like glass or hard plastic particles in 28-ounce bags of the product. The bags had not yet been collected from the consumers, but one consumer described the particles as being "about the size of a 1-carat diamond," Giles said.


No injuries were reported, he said.


Ann's has asked a food lab to collect the bags and analyze the contents to determine what kind of product the glass or plastic came from, which could help determine the source of the problem, Giles said.


"We're thinking that maybe it was in one of the six ingredients in this product," he said.


But Ann's is still looking at other possibilities and plans to interview the production line crew when they return to work Wednesday from a New Year's break.


There was no evidence of deliberate tampering, and law enforcement officials were not involved, Giles said.


Ann's produces over 30 million bags a year of various brands of trail mix and has had no other complaints like this, Giles said.


Wal-Mart said the Sam's Choice "Nature Trail" in question is marked "Best by APR-23-2007." The bags are also marked "MFG OCT-23-2006" to reflect the manufacturing date.


Wal-Mart asked customers who purchased the affected trail mix to return the product for a full refund or replacement.

(Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)














AP material Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Former Wal-Mart employee arrested for check fraud scheme in Spring

Former Wal-Mart employee arrested for check fraud scheme in Spring
Suspect accused of re-running shoppers' checks
By Jeff Ehling




(12/06/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - A former Wal-Mart employee is behind bars for her role in what authorities are calling a check fraud scheme.

When you write a check at Wal-Mart, you hand it to a clerk who then runs the check through an electronic scanner and hands it back to you. Unfortunately some Wal-Mart shoppers in Spring did not get their checks handed back to them and it cost them thousands of dollars.

Pam Davis never thought writing a $37 check at Wal-Mart would cost her thousands of dollars, but that's exactly what happened.

She said, "I had gone to Wal Mart and written a check for $37 and did not realize I did not get that check back, which is the custom with electronic transfer. You are supposed to receive the check back."

Davis says -- and authorities confirm -- a clerk at the Wal-Mart on Kuykendahl never returned Davis' check at the time of purchase, the clerk was able to re-run the check through the electronic reader again and again.

"Five times, they changed the amounts each time," Davis claimed. "It was almost $3,000."

On Tuesday Precinct 4 constables arrested that now former Wal-Mart clerk. Dazzie Mingo is charged with aggravated felony theft. Authorities believe Mingo gave the checks to other people who then went on shopping sprees inside the store.

Capt. Mark Herman with Precinct 4 said, "In some of the cases they were getting $300 Wal-Mart gift cards, clothing, just all kinds of purchases."

Constables say Mingo did the same thing with checks written by other Wal-Mart customers.

"Right now we definitely have four victims identified," Capt. Herman told Eyewitness News. "We have other cases that we know, that she used other accounts. We have not identified the victims in those cases yet because all we have are the account numbers."

Davis says when she contacted Wal-Mart about the fraud, the company started an investigation and Mingo left shortly thereafter.

Normally in a case like this the bank would reimburse a customer who falls victim to wire fraud. But because Davis did not discover the fraud until after 30 days had passed, the bank is not required to replace the money and Davis says Wal-Mart will not refund the missing $3,000 either.

When we asked Wal-Mart about refunding the money, all the company spokesperson would say was, "The associate is no longer with the company. Please refer to the local authorities for details."

Constables tell us more arrests could be made in this case, and they are certain there are other victims who do not yet know money is missing from their checking accounts. If you think you may have been a victim of this, call the Precinct 4 constable's office at 281-376-3472.

There are a few tips for shoppers:

First, realize that not every store handles checks the same way but, if you shop at Wal-Mart, make sure your check is handed back to you after the clerk scans it.

Also, keep a close eye on your checking account transactions online, or by phone.

The moment you see any suspicious activity, call the bank.

And third, try sticking with credit cards, or at least, debit cards. It's easier to challenge fraudulent transactions, and you can limit your liability for illegitimate charges.

Jeff has more tips to protect yourself when paying cash, check or charge on the abc13.com Consumer Blog.













Copyright ©2007 ABC Inc., KTRK-TV Houston.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Wal-Mart workers may face shifting shifts

Wal-Mart workers may face shifting shifts
The discount retailer will move employees to working hours based on how many customers are in the store, according to a published report.
January 3 2007: 4:45 PM EST





NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will start moving many of its 1.3 million workers from predictable shifts to a system based on how many customers are in stores at a given time, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Wal-Mart (Charts) will start making the changes this year with the help of a new computerized scheduling system, the paper said.

The move promises more productivity and consumer satisfaction but could demand more flexibility and availability from workers in place of reliable shifts and predictable pay checks, the Journal reported.

Wal-Mart started using the system for some workers, including cashiers and accounting-office personnel, last year, the paper also reported.

Company officials were not immediately available for comment.

Wal-Mart, which reported better than expected December sales last week, has faced tough competition from discounter Target (Charts) and department stores J.C. Penney (Charts) and Federated (Charts).










Copyright 2007 Reuters All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



© 2006 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Wal-Mart employees ask judge for $62 million more damages in break-time case

Wal-Mart employees ask judge for $62 million more damages in break-time case
By Maryclaire Dale
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:49 a.m. January 3, 2007




PHILADELPHIA – Wal-Mart workers in Pennsylvania who won a $78.5 million judgment for working off the clock and through rest breaks returned to court Wednesday to seek another $62 million in damages.

They argue that the approximately 125,000 class members deserve an additional $500 each in damages under Pennsylvania labor laws because the jury found Wal-Mart acted in bad faith. The plaintiffs already are expected to receive from about $50 to a few thousand dollars each, depending on how long they worked for the company.

Lawyers for Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, say the class members do not meet the state statute's requirements for so-called liquidated damages, which are designed to compensate people for the delay in payment.

It was not clear if Common Pleas Judge Mark Bernstein would immediately rule on the issue Wednesday afternoon or take it under advisement.

Bernstein oversaw the five-week trial, which culminated in October when the jury rejected Wal-Mart's claim that some employees chose to work through breaks and that the off-the-clock work was minimal.

Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., earned $11.2 billion in profits on $312.4 billion in sales in the last fiscal year.

Plaintiffs lawyer Michael Donovan of Philadelphia argued at trial that the unpaid work gave Wal-Mart an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

Lead plaintiff Dolores Hummel said she worked about 10 hours each month off the clock to keep up with work demands at a Sam's Club in Reading, where the single mother worked for 10 years to support her son. Sam's Clubs are a division of Wal-Mart.

The suit covers current and former employees who worked at Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs in Pennsylvania from March 1998 through May 2006.

Wal-Mart is appealing a $172 million verdict in a similar California case and settled a Colorado suit over unpaid wages for $50 million.

Wal-Mart policy in Pennsylvania gives hourly employees one paid 15-minute break during a shift of at least three hours and two such breaks, plus an unpaid 30-minute meal break, on a shift of at least six hours.













© Copyright 2007 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. • A Copley Newspaper Site

The Wal-Mart Flap

Tales From The Marketing Wars
The Wal-Mart Flap
Jack Trout 12.19.06, 6:00 AM ET





Nothing has excited and riled up the advertising agency business as much as Wal-Mart's recent firing of Julie Roehm and the agency she just hired.

It was all over the business press, but nothing captured it better than the big headline in Advertising Age magazine that proclaimed: "Unruly Julie and the Scandal That Rocked the Ad World."

For those that missed the flap, Julie's problem was supposedly accepting fancy dinners in New York City, driving around in a fancy car with an agency head, pushing her favorite choice of agency or even having an affair with her assistant. The agency world hasn't had excitement like this since the time that Mary Wells of Wells Rich Greene married the CEO of her biggest client, Braniff International (and had to resign the account). Mary always had a lot of style.

Ms. Roehm was hired to help Wal-Mart change from a down-market, price driven image to one that would attract the likes of those suburbanites shopping at Target and other slightly up-market establishments. Famous for her edgy double entendre marketing at Chrysler, she rode into the Wal-Mart culture like a tank driving through a brick wall. Julie described all her problems to being a "change agent" in an organization that didn't really want to change.

What is missing in all these articles is an analysis of whether or not Wal-Mart can or should change. I've written in the past that once a brand has established itself in the value or price category, it is almost impossible to go up market and attract a group of customers that are already going for fancier brands. Wal-Mart is a mass merchandiser that clearly is all about "always low prices."

That's why people shop there.

And their culture, store layouts and advertising push price for all it's worth. Retailers such as Ames or regional price players such as Caldor's tried to compete on price but are long deceased.

Target played it perfectly. Rather than go head-to-head with Godzilla, they decided to offer mass with class, or department store type merchandise for less. They used unique designs and nicer store layouts to attract those folks that were a bit more up-market and tended to look down on the down-market, Wal-Mart shopper. Remember, when you walk into a Wal-Mart, you are telling the world you are a price shopper. When you walk into Target, you are telling the world you have a little more taste than a price buyer. When you walk into Neiman Marcus you are telling the world that you have a lot of money and a great deal of taste.

Like everything else in this very competitive world, trying to be everything for everybody just doesn't work. You are what you are in the minds of your customers and prospects, and leaving that position tends to generate confusion. Higher prices in a low-price store just suggests to your customers that you might be ripping them off.

The same goes for products. When Toyota went up market with a $50,000 automobile, it gave it a different brand name (Lexus), as did Honda (Acura). They didn’t want their customers to feel they were buying puffed up Toyotas or Hondas.

So, to me, someone at Wal-Mart recognized that change was not such a good thing for Wal-Mart to pursue. (Absolutely.) And with that realization, Julie and her new agency were no longer needed. In fact, if they hung around, all they would do is cause confusion among employees and customers. (Absolutely.)

Of course, this is past. What about the future? The answer to this question is now in the hands of John Fleming, the chief marketing officer. Already, you're reading about suggestions being lobbed by all the so-called experts. Be more targeted. Evolve. Stop making everything a commodity. My take is that if you're about value, talk more about value instead of price. You might even let your customers get a peek at what they do behind the shelves to offer that value. And you certainly can make the shopping experience better with friendlier service. (Think Southwest, which has flight attendants doing stand-up comedy.) What they shouldn't do is get fancy and try to go up market against the likes of Target.

All this points to a simple truth: It's never too early or too late to correct a mistake. No matter what the embarrassment.



With more than 40 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Jack Trout is the acclaimed author of many marketing classics, including Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, Marketing Warfare, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Differentiate or Die, Big Brands Big Trouble, A Genie's Wisdom and his latest, Trout on Strategy. He is president of marketing consultancy Trout & Partners and has consulted for such companies as AT&T, IBM, Southwest Airlines, Merck, Procter & Gamble and others. Recognized as one of the world's foremost marketing strategists, Trout is the originator of "positioning" and other important concepts in marketing strategy.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Lansing family can't have cake and eat it, too

Published December 28, 2006
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Schneider: Lansing family can't have cake and eat it, too





Once Jim Kavalaris managed to chisel out the first serving of an unusually hard-to-cut birthday cake, he called out to his mother:

"THIS IS NOT A REAL CAKE."

Kavalaris' mother, assuming he was just being a brat, conceded that she probably should have gone to a real bakery for a high-quality cake, but she ran out of time, etc., and he should quit complaining ...

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"No - look for yourself," said Kavalaris, motioning for his mother to come closer and see what he meant. "It's not REAL."

As in NOT CAKE.

In an e-mail to me, Kavalaris, who lives in Delta Township, described what he and his mother gazed upon: "Bubbles of the same stuff used as packing material were all over the plate, the knife and what was left of the frosting ..."

Beneath the edible icing, the cake, bought at Sam's Club at Eastwood Towne Center, was pure Styrofoam.

Double birthday

That was on Christmas Day, as the family worked a double-birthday celebration into their holiday. The honorees were Jim, about to turn 37, and his grandmother, Chrisoula Limber of Lansing, who will soon turn 96.

The cake was nicely decorated with red and green flowers on a white background and the words, "Happy Birthday Mom and Jim."

After the candles were blown out and Jim tried to cut the cake, he thought maybe it was slightly frozen and considered popping it in the microwave oven - "just to loosen it up a little."

Imagine how that would have smelled.

For display only

Responding to my inquiry, Sam's Club manager Jeff Hartsaw theorized that an employee must have mistakenly picked up a Styrofoam display cake coated with white frosting, thought it was real and added the finishing touches ordered by Kavalaris' mother.

"We'll make it right," he said.

And Hartsaw did just that. He phoned Kavalaris Tuesday and invited him back to the store. The manager gave Kavalaris:

• A refund for the original cake.

• A fresh cake decorated just like the original one.

• A letter of apology.

• A $100 gift card to the store.

"Jeff Hartsaw was very gracious," said Kavalaris, who was pretty gracious himself about the whole thing.

"I know there was nothing malicious going on here - just an honest mistake," he said, adding that while the family didn't get its birthday cake that day, they got a generous wedge of triple-layer family lore that will make them laugh for years to come.

On his way home from Sam's on Tuesday Kavalaris stopped by the City Rescue Mission, in downtown Lansing, and donated the gift card.

What do you think? Call John Schneider at 377-1175.











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